This is Hip Boots last day. She has stopped eating, and she has withdrawn. At 18 or 19 years old it is expected. We are sad and resigned to the inevitable. It has been a great life. She came home with us as a baby cat, along with her two siblings, born to a feral queen under my sister's shed. The queen became a house cat and had another litter, giving my sister two wonderful kitty companions. Both mom and brother have left already. Hip Boot's sibling have long gone, although the sister, Venture, immediately reincarnated into Timmy, and is doing fine.
Really this post is about sharing a fantastic article on helping us decide if it is time for the big goodbye. And here is the link.